Lead Manufacturing Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois

INTRODUCTION

Rivian’s Body Manufacturing Engineering team designs, launches, and continuously improves world-class manufacturing systems that produce safe, high-quality vehicles at scale. As a Senior Manufacturing Engineer, you will support body manufacturing programs by owning and driving projects across process design, equipment specification, supplier development, installation, commissioning, validation, and production ramp-up.

You will partner cross-functionally with Product Design, Manufacturing, Quality, Controls, and external suppliers to develop robust body manufacturing processes and equipment. Your responsibilities will include participating in design reviews and workshops, supporting design-for-manufacturability activities, developing process documentation and work instructions, contributing to PFMEA, managing equipment installations, leading FAT/SAT activities, and ensuring manufacturing systems achieve exceptional quality, efficiency, reliability, and throughput.

This role is based at Rivian’s Normal, Illinois plant—the home of R1 and EDV production and the R2 industrialization effort. You will also lead major program changes to legacy products and processes across the Normal plant’s body lines, with future responsibilities supporting the relocation of these operations to Georgia. This position reports directly to a Manager, Manufacturing Engineering.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own Body Process & Equipment Strategy: define manufacturing concepts for lines, including layout, process, equipment selection & joining methodology to meet dimensional, throughput, cost, and safety targets on new underbody line & existing shops.
• Lead Concept-to-Launch Execution: manage the design procurement, installation & validation of production equipment, tooling, robotics, joining & conveyance.
• Product collaboration: act as principle point of contact for all manufacturing needs of the PD team to ensure the product is feasible for high volume production.
• Oversee the installation, acceptance testing and ramp up of manufacturing equipment/lines.
• Continuous improvement: apply lean manufacturing principles, bottleneck relief, analyze process data, review performance & identify opportunities for improvements.
• Problem solving: troubleshoot technical issues & mediate between competing technical requirements to ensure process stability & quality.
• Project management: manage multiple high value projects concurrently, develop & adhere to schedules, co-ordinate with internal & external stakeholders to meet project objectives.
• Standards & Specifications: Author/maintain Rivian body equipment/process specs & templates for use across all programs.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Provide clear, concise, regular status on risk, cost, schedule, headcount, and mitigations to leadership.
• Design and develop automated production lines for product flow, ergonomics and efficiency, scalability, standardization, and continuous quality monitoring.
• Provide Design for Manufacturing feedback to Product Design Engineering team.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or similar technical field.
• 3-5+ years of manufacturing engineering experience leading and executing programs in body shops from concept to launch (or relevant experience).
• Strong problem solving skills and aptitude for learning systems quickly.
• Experience managing large ($1m+) automation projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Substantial knowledge of automotive body assembly processes (welding, bonding, riveting etc.).
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles + continuous improvement methodologies.
• Excellent communication, collaboration & project management skills.
• Experience with data analysis, process monitoring & quality systems - ideally in bodyshop.
• Well versed in current and emerging technologies and digitization trends relevant to industrial manufacturing.
• Experience with 2D & 3D software (AutoCAD, Solidworks, and Catia).
• Understand GD&T principles.